


are the pieces of you in the pieces of me?

by imadetheline



Series: learning, little by little [8]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Angst, Banter, Fluff and Angst, Gen, No Incest, Sibling Bonding, Sibling Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-17
Updated: 2021-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-25 21:28:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30095409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imadetheline/pseuds/imadetheline
Summary: Luke tries to convince Leia that training with the Force is a good thing but she has some reservations.
Relationships: Leia Organa & Luke Skywalker
Series: learning, little by little [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2100993
Comments: 4
Kudos: 23





	are the pieces of you in the pieces of me?

**Author's Note:**

> title from DNA by Lia Marie Johnson which is an absolutely perfect song for both Luke and Leia about Vader and I highly recommend that y'all go listen to it
> 
> also this will probably make more sense if you've read the rest of the series

Leia’s arms are crossed over her chest, and Luke can see her foot is poised to start tapping against the empty communications room floor where he’d cornered her after a meeting with high command. He hasn’t had a chance to speak with her since he got back from the Executor yesterday, and already they’re arguing. He fights back a sigh. “I already told you, Luke.” Her determination is ringing in the Force. “I’m not a Jedi.”

Luke gives up on restraining the sigh and lets the breath out, running a hand over his face, pushing blond strands off his forehead. “I know. And I’m not asking you to be. I just think some basic Force training might be helpful.” He can tell from her raised eyebrow that she’s not convinced.

“You’ve already taught me shielding. Why do I need more?” Leia says. Her fingers are tapping against her white sleeve now, loud in the silence. “I’ve gotten by well enough without the Force my whole life. I’ve had to. A Sith lord deciding he wants to make amends isn’t going to change that.”

Luke groans and tilts his head back to stare at the ceiling. The topic of their father is a sore subject, and somehow, this argument always comes back to him. He huffs out a breath, dragging his eyes from the white ceiling back to his sister, who’s looking very unimpressed on the other side of the comms table. “It’s not about him, Leia. It’s about you and the Force. Using it doesn’t have to make you a Jedi. But you have this power, and it’s your responsibility to learn about it for other people’s safety.”

Immediately he knows he’s made a misstep. Leia steps forward, advancing on him around the table, her eyes like fire, “Do not lecture me on  _ responsibility _ , Luke Skywalker. I have given up my life for this cause, have worked for it since I was able to understand what the Empire is.” 

Luke’s eyes widen, and he takes a step back at her approach, raising his hands in surrender, “Leia, I’m sorry. I didn’t-”

But her anger is burning in the Force, a righteous flame, “ _ And people’s safety? _ Do not presume that I don’t care for people just because I take issue with your little cult and Force powers” --Luke tries to interrupt at that, his own ire sparking but she isn’t done-- “Have you ever considered that I’m not using them  _ for _ people’s safety!”

And suddenly, she seems to realize what she’s said. Silence rushes in to fill the gaps as her shoulders drop, and Luke can see the anger flee her eyes, her shields like durasteel. His own annoyance is smoke before it has a chance to catch flame, grief filling its place in his chest. He reaches out a hand towards his sister, “Leia…”

“I just…” She doesn’t look at him, wrapping her arms around herself and looking down at the polished floor. “I don’t want to become him.”

Luke feels the ache in his chest grow as Leia glances up at him, silver lining her dark eyes, and he finally recognizes his own fear reflected in her gaze. And then he’s stepping towards her and pulling her into his arms. She’s small but so strong as she grabs at the back of his tunic. “Leia, you won’t become him,” he whispers into the void held at bay only by the warmth they generate.

Her voice is muffled by his shirt, but he’s not sure he could ever  _ not _ hear her; she’s his sister, his other half. “You don’t know that, Luke. I already-” Her breath catches, and her grip tightens on his shirt, “I already touched it: the dark. And I felt so powerful. I can’t- can’t risk that again.  _ For _ people’s safety.”

And Luke knows he can never fully assuage this fear for her, knows because it still lives in his own heart. But he can be there with her. So he pushes her back by her shoulders, letting his hands rest there as he meets her gaze, “Leia, learning more about the Force will only help you understand yourself better, help you control that darkness, so it doesn’t hurt people… or you.” Because he doesn’t know what he’d do if he lost her.

He can tell she’s going to argue, so he speaks before she can, letting the words fall from his lips before he can take them back, “I’ve felt it too.” Her brows furrow in confusion, so Luke sucks in an unsteady breath, lowering his own shields to let his emotions flow freely between them, “The dark. It’s always there, Leia. It never really leaves.” He feels her shudder under his hands where they’re resting on her shoulders as she senses the memory of his own darkness roiling beneath his skin. “But it’s not a single mistake you make in anger or fear. It a choice, Leia.” He squeezes her shoulder and makes sure to hold her gaze unflinchingly, peering into the eyes of the only other person who knows his soul. “A choice you keep making every day, every hour.”

Leia’s shields have dropped too, and the Force is sparkling between them, powerful and clear as they share emotions and thoughts. Luke leans in and meets Leia’s forehead with his own, closing his eyes and drawing strength from her steadying presence. His voice is full of conviction when he says, “And you would never keep making that choice, Leia. I know you.”

And because she senses his fear, he feels her smile, and she says, “And I know you.”

It’s a promise—from both of them. 

The Force sings around them, bright and content, their thoughts a jumbled mix of love and happiness and grief and guilt and fear and everything they share.

Slowly, they pull back from each other, Luke’s hands dropping from Leia’s arms as the Force quiets around them, and he shivers from the sudden chill in his bones at the loss of Leia’s presence so fully intertwined with his. Her voice is soft and echoes strangely in the emptiness, guilt seeping in to fill the breaths between words, “I’m sorry for yelling. I’m just so out of my depth. I-”

Luke cuts her off with a laugh and a wave of his hand, “If anyone’s out of their depth, it’s me. The most training I’ve had is from a part-time Sith lord, so we’re probably even.” His smile softens at her doubtful expression, “But we’ll figure it out together, okay?”

Leia hesitates, and she doesn’t quite smile but eventually: “Okay.” And she seems to consider something else, glancing at the comms table before looking back to him, “But only the basics for now. I don’t think I want to try to handle full-time training on top of everything else.” She raises an eyebrow, all trace of uncertainty erased with a twitch of a muscle, and Luke has to restrain his jealousy at the ease in which she hides all emotion, her shields raised again. “And I’m still not a Jedi, got it?” she says sternly.

Luke pulls his best serious expression and salutes, “Yes, ma’am.”

Leia definitely doesn’t pull her punch when she smacks his arm, and he yelps at the strength of it— “Ow!” —already raising his prosthetic to massage the aching muscle. She doesn’t even have the dignity to look sorry, just smirks at him, her eyebrow still raised. Luke pushes down the smile desperately tugging at the corners of his lips, and pouts instead, “Well, maybe I don’t want to train you if all you’re gonna do is beat me up.”

She shrugs and doesn’t look remotely cowed, already turning towards the door, “What are big sisters for?”

He scowls and rolls his shoulder a few times to help with the ache, and then he’s hurrying to catch up with her as she strides out into the hall. For someone so short, she walks entirely too fast. “We don’t know you’re older,” he huffs, nodding at a passing mechanic.

“I am,” she says confidently without even looking at him.

Luke frowns, “And how would you possibly know that?”

This time she does glance at him and then has the audacity to wink, “Big sister intuition.” Luke stops in the middle of the hall, glaring after her.

And then he’s rushing to catch up with her. “You’re shorter,” he shoots back.

“Just wait until I float a box of hydrospanners over your head with the Force and drop them. Then we’ll see who’s taller.”

Luke stops again, “You wouldn’t.”

Leia smirks and stops too, grinning widely and innocently, “I’m looking forward to training.” The statement is most definitely a thinly veiled threat. And then she raises an eyebrow and disappears down the hall, leaving Luke gaping after her, fighting pure joy and frustration at the newfound experience of having a sister, especially when that sister happens to be Leia Organa.

**Author's Note:**

> i have ideas and a vague outline for this au so we'll see where this goes :)
> 
> also leia is the older sibling and i stand by that. canon? idk her. also as you can tell i just like writing luke and leia banter. hopefully more of it coming soon bc i can't help myself ;)
> 
> If you guys liked it leave a comment. They make my day! Seriously I love reading them so please leave me one cause they motivate me to write more! if you guys have ideas for other stories send me an ask on tumblr [here](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/imadetheline) or just yell about stuff with me. Info about me and all my other tumblrs are [here](https://infoabtmaddie.carrd.co/#)


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